Game having book-cover carrying case



March 23, 1965 M. MIDONICK ETAL 3,174,772

GAME HAVING BQOK-COVER CARRYING CASE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 17, 1962 INVENTORS. M/lLA/PD L. M/DO/V/C/I NORTON M IPOJI/W-TZD ATTOEWEX March 1965 M. L. MIDONICK ETAL 3,17 ,772

GAME 1mm; BOOK-COVER CARRYING CASE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 17, 1962 ATTORA FX United States Patent 3,174,772 GAME HAVHQG BQGK-QGVER CARRYKNG CASE Millard L. Midonick, New York, N.Y., and Morton M. Rosenfeld, 136 Esplanade Drive, Mount Vernon, N.Y.; said Midonick assignor to said Rosenteid Fiied Dec. 17, 1962, Ser. No. 245,078 3 Ciaims. ((35. 281-17) This invention relates to a game having a book-cover type carrying case. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable game adapted to be played by two or more persons and having a carrying case wherein the side panels may be conveniently disassociated for use during playing and may be conveniently associated for storage of the game.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a portable game and carrying case that may be separated into two sections.

Another object is to provide a game and carrying case wherein the side panels provide a backing for a writing surface on which the game will be played.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a game including a carrying case wherein means are provided on the carrying case for selectively obscuring a portion of a writing surface on which the game will be played.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a carrying case which may be separated into two sections, each section being either a portion of or a complete game.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the game of the present invention while disposed in its carrying case, with the carrying case in its closed disposition.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of the game illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an exploded view of the game illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of one of the two sections illustrated in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the section illustrated in FIGURE 4, with the elements partly broken away for purposes of illustration and with the flap folded back to reveal hidden areas thereof.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along the lines 66 in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along the lines 7--7 in FIGURE 4.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIGURE 1 a game having a book-cover carrying case designated generally as It The game and book-cover carrying case 10 is adapted to be separated into two identical sections 12 and 14. Accordingly, only section 12 will be described in detail with corresponding primed numerals being provided for section 14.

The section 12 includes a panel 16. Panel 16 is comprised of layers of thermoplastic material 18 and 2d with a stiff cardboard reinforcement member 22 disposed therebetween. The peripheral edges of the layers of plastic material 18 and are joined by a thermofused joint. The panel 16 is provided with a fiap 24 and a flap extension 26 at one end thereof,

As shown more clearly in FIGURE 5, the reinforcement member 22 is integrally connected with a reinforcement member 28 in the flap extension 26 by means of a web 30. The length of the web 34 defines the height of the flap 24. A fold line will be placed at the opposite ends of the web 30 to facilitate pivotable movement of the flap 24 with respect to the panel 16 and pivotable movement of the extension 26 with respect to the flap 24.

A pair of webs 30 are provided as illustrated more clearly in FIGURE 5. A reinforcement member 32 is integral with and extending from opposite sides of the webs 3t} and between the webs 30. The width of the reinforcement member 32 is slightly less than the width of the flap 24. The layers of plastic material 18 and 20 are interconnected by a thermofused joint 34 in those areas between the reinforcement members 23, 32 and 22 not provided with a web 30. Hence, maximum flexibility is provided while preventing collapse of the flap 24.

As shown more clearly in FIGURE 6, a slot 36 is provided in the layer of plastic material 20 and extending across substantially the full width thereof. A writing pad on which the game will be played is removably supported by the panel 16 as a result of the insertion of the cardboard backer 38 on the pad 40 through the slot 36. Hence, it will be noted that the carboard backer 38 is disposed between the layer of plastic material 20 and the reinforcement member 22.

The writing pad 40 is provided at its upper end with an area defined by printing 42. In playing the game, a secret word which the adversary must guess by trial and error method will be printed or otherwise marked in this area on the pad Hence, it is necessary for the flap extension 26 to be of sufiicient length so that it may obscure this area as shown more clearly in FIGURE 4.

As shown more clearly in FIGURE 6, a slot 44 is provided in the layer of plastic material 2% below the pad 40. A sheet of thermoplastic material 46 is overlapped on itself and its free ends extending through the slot 44. A thermofu-sed joint 48 is provided between the layer of plastic material 26 and the sheet 46 thereby defining a substantially circular casing for receiving a pencil or other writing implement 5d. The pencil or other writing implement 50 will be of such transverse dimension so as to be frictionally held within the casing provided therefor.

When the game is not in use, the two sections may be conveniently interconnected to facilitate carrying or storage and to simulate a book or the like. This is accomplished by providing a male snap fastener 52 at the lowermost end of the panel 16. Snap fasteners 52 is adapted to cooperate with female snap fastener 54 on flap extension 26'. A male snap fastener 56 is provided at one end of panel 16 for cooperation with female snap fastener 58 on flap extension 26'.

The game of the present invention is played as follows:

The two sections will be separated from one another by uncoupling the snap fasteners. Thereafter, each player will receive one of the sections 12 and 14. The players may sit opposite one another or adjacent one another depending upon the environment in which the game is being played. Each player will mark a secret word within the space defined by the printing 42.

Neither player will know the opponents secret word. At all times, the secret word will be obscured by the flap extension 26 or 26. The players will take turns writing down a letter of the alphabet on his own writing pad 49 or 49 in an effort to guess the letters of his opponents secret word. As soon as one player guesses all the letters of his opponents secret word, he must then arrange the letters in a manner so that they spell a word. Each time such a player has a turn, be may offer a combination of the letters which spells a word. The first player to guess his opponents secret word wins the game. The presence of the secret Words involved within the area defined by the printing 42 on each section will prevent a player from changing his secret Word as the game progresses.

The snap fasteners facilities the rapid coupling and uncoupling of the sections 12 and 14. Other types of fastening means may be utilized if desired. The entire peripheral edge of the sections 12 and 14 are defined by a V thermofused joint between the layers of thermoplastic material 18 and 20. Hence, the stiff reinforcement member 22 may be cardboard or the like and will not be subject to absorbing moisture which would otherwise inter,- fere with its stifiness. If desired, other types of reinforcement members may be utilized. Since the width of the flaps are defined by the length of the webs 30, the fiaps will not collapse when the sections 12 and'14 are coupled together. As will be apparent from the drawing, the height of the webs 30 corresponds generally to the combined thickness of the writing pads 46 and 4%.

Due to the materials from which the sections 12 and 14 are composed, the sections are water repellent, are not subject to deformation due to scratches or other marks during normal use, and may be used over and over again by substituting new pads when the situation requires. The thermofused joints 34 facilitate the provision of a bend between the panel 16, flap 24 and flap extension 26 so that the section will remain as illustrated in FIGURE 6. However, the flap 24 and its extension 26 may be readily bent or folded to the disposition illustrated in FIGURE 5.

This application is a vcontinuation-in-part of application Serial No. 579,192 filed on April 19, 1956 (now abandoned) and Serial No. 764,097 filed on September 29, 1958, now abandoned.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to -the foregoing specification as indicating the scoperof the invention,

We claim:

1. A game comprising a carrying case having two substantially identical sections, each section comprising a substantially rectangular panel, a flap integral with and hingedly connected to said panel, a fiap extension integral with and hingedly connected to said flap, each flap and panel being stilf, each panel including a pocket, a separate, unconnected writing surface means removably supported by each panel, each writing surface means including a hacker adapted to be removably inserted in the pocket in its respective panel, each writing surface means having printing at one end defining an area which is overlapped by the flap extension on its respective panel, said area being adapted to have a secret word applied thereto by a player of the game and obscured by the flap extension overlying the same, and means for releasably interconnecting the flap extension of each section with the panel of the other section, whereby the sections may be releasably interconnected when the game is not being played and may be separated so that each player may have his own sectiontwhen the game is being played. 7

2. A game in accordance with claim 1 wherein each panel is defined by two. layers of thermoplastic material having a thermofused joint at the peripheral edges thereof, a stiff cardboard reinforcement member between the layers of thermoplastic material of the panel of each section.

3. A game in accordance with claim 1 wherein each flap is internally reinforced by a stiff member having a height corresponding to substantially the combined thickness of the writing means on each section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,743,512 Aisen Jan. 14, 1930 1,845,952 Wright Feb. 16, 1932 2,119,826 Morris June 7, 1938 2,310,707 Petrie Feb. 9, 1943 2,390,125 Schade Dec. 4, 1945 2,786,281 Kramer et a1 Mar. 26, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 810,902 Great Britain Mar. 25, 1959 1,061,769 France Dec. 2, 1953 

1. A GAME COMPRISING A CARRYING CASE HAVING TWO SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL SECTIONS, EACH SECTION COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR PANEL, A FLAP INTEGRAL WITH AND HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID PANEL, A FLAP EXTENSION INTEGRAL WITH AND HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID FLAP, EACH FLAP AND PANEL BEING STIFF, EACH PANEL INCLUDING A POCKET, A SEPARATE, UNCONNECTED WRITING SURFACE MEANS REMOVABLY SUPPORTED BY EACH PANEL, EACH WRITING SURFACE MEANS INCLUDING A BACKER ADAPTEDF TO BE REMOVABLY INSERTED IN THE POCKET IN ITS RESPECTIVE PANEL, EACH WRITING SURFACE MEANS HAVING PRINTING AT ONE END DEFINING AN AREA WHICH IS OVERLAPPED BY THE FLAP EXTENSION ON ITS RESPECTIVE PANEL, SAID AREA BEING ADAPTED TO HAVE A SECRET WORD APPLIED THERETO BY A PLAYER OF THE GAME AND OBSCURED BY THE FLAP EXTENSION OVERLYING THE SAME, AND MEANS FOR RELEASABLY INTERCONNECTING THE FLAP EXTENSION OF EACH SECTION WITH THE PANEL OF THE OTHER SECTION, WHEREBY THE SECTIONS MAY BE RELEASABLY INTERCONNECTED WHEN THE GAME IS NOT BEING PLAYED AND MAY BE SEPARATED SO THAT EACH PLAYER MAY HAVE HIS OWN SECTION WHEN THE GAME IS BEING PLAYED. 